Study Desk

My people are destroyed because they have not learned. You were not willing to learn. So I am not willing to have you be My religious leader. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your children.

They will eat, but not have enough. They will do sex sins, but the number of their children will not grow because they have not been faithful to the Lord.

They give gifts in worship on the tops of the mountains and burn special perfume on the hills. They do this under oak, poplar and terebinth trees, because their shadow is pleasing. So your daughters are like women who sell the use of their bodies, and your brides do sex sins.

The wind will carry them away, and they will be ashamed because they gave gifts to false gods.

It is hard for Ephraim. He is crushed by punishment, because he wanted to follow what is of no worth.

They do not turn to the Most High. They are like a bow that does not work right. Their leaders will be killed by the sword because of their proud words. And those in the land of Egypt will laugh at them.

"Put the horn to your lips! Men who hate us are coming like an eagle to fight against the house of the Lord, because the people of Israel have sinned against My agreement and would not obey My Law.

Even when they hire people among the nations to help them, I will now gather them together. And they will begin to waste away because the powerful king will make it hard for them.

"Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin gifts, they have become altars for sinning.

The days of punishment have come, the days when the people must pay for their sins. Let Israel know this. The man who tells what will happen in the future is a fool. The man who is led by the spirit is crazy. This is because of all your sin and anger.

"Because of all their sin at Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of the sinful things they did, I will drive them out of My house. I will not love them any more. All their leaders would not obey Me.

My God will send them away because they have not listened to Him. And they will travel from nation to nation.

Then they will say, "We have no king because we do not fear the Lord. And what could a king do for us?"

The people of Samaria will be afraid for the calf of Beth-aven. Its people will have sorrow for it. Its religious leaders who worship false gods will cry over it in a loud voice. They will cry because its greatness has gone.

This will be done to you at Bethel because of your many sins. When the day begins, the king of Israel will be destroyed.

"They will not return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria will be their king, because they would not return to Me.

The sword will come upon their cities and destroy their gates. And it will destroy them because of their plans.

"I will destroy you, O Israel, because you are against Me, against your Helper.

Return to the Lord your God, O Israel, for you have fallen because of your sin.

Cry in sorrow like a young, pure woman dressed in cloth made from hair because the man she was going to marry is dead.